Perez-Castrillon, et al., Effects of Atorvastatin on Vitamin D Levels
in Patients With Acute Ischemic Heart Disease, Am J Cardiol
2007;99:903-905.  Vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for
osteoporosis and other chronic diseases, including type 1 diabetes,
hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and ischemic heart disease.
Cholesterol and vitamin D share the 7-dehydrocolesterol metabolic
pathway. This study evaluated the possible effect of atorvastatin on
vitamin D levels in patients with acute ischemic heart disease. Eighty-
three patients (52 men and 31 women) with an acute coronary syndrome
(75 with acute myocardial infarction and 8 with unstable angina) were
included. After diagnosis, patients received atorvastatin as secondary
prevention. Serum vitamin D was measured by high-performance liquid
chromatography at baseline and at 12 months. Atorvastatin treatment
produced a statistically significant decrease in cholesterol and
triglyceride levels and an increase in vitamin D levels (41 +/- 19 vs
47 +/- 19 nmol/L, p = 0.003). Vitamin D deficiency was decreased by
75% to 57% at 12 months. In conclusion, atorvastatin increases vitamin
D levels. This increase could explain some of the beneficial effects
of atorvastatin at the cardiovascular level that are unrelated to
cholesterol levels.

Marilyn

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A Taste below.

"But perhaps the biggest bombshell about vitamin D's effects is about to
go off. In June, U.S. researchers will announce the first direct link
between cancer prevention and the sunshine vitamin. Their results are
nothing short of astounding.
A four-year clinical trial involving 1,200 women found those taking the
vitamin had about a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence, compared
with those who didn't take it, a drop so large ‹ twice the impact on
cancer attributed to smoking ‹ it almost looks like a typographical
error.
And in an era of pricey medical advances, the reduction seems even more
remarkable because it was achieved with an over-the-counter supplement
costing pennies a day."